Purpose

Use the Add clause to add a column to an existing table. It is optional.

This clause adds a column to the end of the column list. It defines a column with the same syntax as the Create Table command (see "Creating a Local Table"). If NOT NULL is specified and the table is not empty, a default value must be specified. In all other respects, this command is the equivalent of a column definition in a Create Table statement.

Syntax

ADD [COLUMN] column_nameDatatype ... [BEFORE existing_column]

Notes

  • You cannot specify ANYTYPE, BINARY, COMBOBOX, or TIME data types in the column definition of Alter Table statements.
  • The optional Before existing_column can be used to specify the name of an existing column so that the new column is inserted in a position just before the existing column.
  • The optional Before existing_column can be used to specify the name of an existing column so that the new column is inserted in a position just before the existing column.
  • If a SQL view includes SELECT * FROM for the table to which the column was added in the view’s Select statement, the new column is added to the view.

Example A

Assuming the current schema is PUBLIC, this example adds the status column with a default value of ACTIVE to the test table.

ALTER TABLE test ADD COLUMN status VARCHAR(30) DEFAULT 'ACTIVE'

Example B

Assuming the current schema is PUBLIC, this example adds a deptId column that can be used as a foreign key column.

ALTER TABLE test ADD COLUMN deptId VARCHAR(18)